"Excellent. Not only is his cultivation higher than mine, but he's also proficient in the art of alchemy. He claims he can break through to the second-tier alchemist realm very soon."
Long Yuling nodded, her expression full of affirmation.
She hadn't revealed Lin Chen's true cultivation level, as she had promised him not to tell anyone. Even her parents were included in that promise.
"Interesting. At the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and an alchemist to boot? Such a genius would be notable even in the capital!"
Hearing Long Yuling's words, Long Yixian nodded, his expression also full of approval.
The Long family of Zhejiang Province originated from the capital, so they were well aware of the geniuses there. For a cultivator, reaching the late stage of Foundation Establishment before the age of thirty might not be considered exceptionally talented.
However, becoming a true alchemist before the age of thirty was incredibly rare.
The path of alchemy required not only cultivation but, more importantly, a thorough understanding of the properties of each medicinal herb, as well as the precise control of heat, temperature, and humidity during the refining process. It was a vast field of study.
Many cultivators spent their entire lives as alchemy apprentices without ever truly breaking through.
Otherwise, why would Liu Huaiyu, merely an outer disciple of the Dan Ling Sect, be worthy of a personal welcome from Old Master Long?
It was precisely because true alchemists were so scarce.
Every alchemist, even a first-tier one, could command immense influence behind them!
"Since you have such a genius to help you, we can finally rest easy."
Lu Haiyan, lying on the hospital bed, smiled with relief.
Now that she was essentially incapacitated, as a mother, she naturally didn't want to see her daughter forced into marriage with a scumbag for the sake of the family.
With the matter now being resolved satisfactorily, they were naturally relieved.
"Alright, alright, let's eat first. It's getting cold."
...
Meanwhile, at Xishan, Lin Chen arrived at a mountain peak. At the summit stood a bamboo house, exuding an air of idyllic seclusion.
Gazing at the refreshing scenery, Lin Chen couldn't help but smile. He knew that his senior sister, Zhang Ying, must have prepared this place specifically for him.
Without hesitation, Lin Chen entered the bamboo house and sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed.
He then set up a small formation around him to prevent disturbances before immersing his consciousness into the Nine Dragon Ring.
Now that he had broken through to the Core Formation stage, the explorable space within the ring was undoubtedly larger.
Indeed, the moment Lin Chen entered the Nine Dragon Ring, he noticed that his field of vision had expanded considerably.
Previously, he could only see an area about the size of a two-bedroom apartment. Now, after breaking through to the Golden Core stage, his perception extended to an area roughly the size of a basketball court.
More importantly, he discovered that the time ratio between the Nine Dragon Ring and the outside world had become five to one.
One day in the Nine Dragon Ring was equivalent to five days in the outside world!
"It seems the flow of time slows down as my cultivation increases."
Lin Chen was extremely pleased to confirm this fact.
Everyone in the outside world thought he had only spent three years to reach his current cultivation level. But if the time spent in the Nine Dragon Ring were included, he had actually spent over a decade to achieve his current accomplishments!
And with the time flow continuing to slow down in the future, the Nine Dragon Ring was undoubtedly his true trump card! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Then let's see if I can find any usable cultivation techniques!"
Lin Chen then calmed himself.
With his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, techniques like the Vajra Divine Curse, the Lesser Vehicle Sword Art, and the Thousand Layer Wave had lost much of their effectiveness.
During the Foundation Establishment stage, Thousand Layer Wave combined with Silver Dragon Transformation could instantly multiply his combat power several times. However, after breaking through to the Golden Core stage, these techniques were no longer as potent.
When used together, they could only boost his combat power by about a third at most.
"Hmm? A Scripture Pavilion?"
However, when Lin Chen approached the room where he previously kept his techniques, he found it had transformed into a towering pagoda!
The nine-story pagoda stood tall amidst the black mist, with a carved golden dragon adorning its summit, exuding an ancient and majestic aura.
"A Scripture Pavilion? Alright, let me see what cultivation techniques are stored within!"
Upon seeing the Scripture Pavilion, Lin Chen felt a sense of realization.
This must have been the cultivation site of some ancient powerful being.
Without any hesitation, Lin Chen pushed open the grand doors of the Scripture Pavilion and stepped inside.
The first floor contained books similar to those he had seen before, techniques usable by cultivators below the Core Formation stage.
Finding these techniques useless, Lin Chen ascended the stairs to the second floor.
Similarly, there were dozens of bookshelves filled with a dense array of books. At a rough glance, they were all cultivation techniques usable by cultivators at or above the Core Formation stage!
"Interesting. The Scripture Pavilion has nine floors. The second floor houses techniques for the Core Formation stage. Then, how incredible must the techniques on the ninth floor be?"
With this thought, Lin Chen's excitement was palpable. He found the stairs leading upwards and was eager to ascend.
However, just as he reached a turn, he was stopped by a transparent light screen. Beside the screen, a small inscription read: "Nascent Soul cultivators and below are not permitted entry."
"What? No entry below Nascent Soul? That's insane!"
Seeing this inscription, Lin Chen was utterly dumbfounded.
He was only at the Core Formation stage now. How long would it take him to reach the Nascent Soul stage?
"Never mind, I'll first see if I can find any suitable cultivation techniques."
Dejectedly, Lin Chen returned to the second floor and began searching among the bookshelves.
He had to admit that the collection on the second floor was infinitely superior to that on the first. Not only did it contain Core Formation techniques, but there were even cultivation techniques for the Nascent Soul stage!
"Huh? This technique, the Qian Yuan Burning Blood Divine Art, is quite intriguing!"
Lin Chen casually picked up a book from a shelf and was immediately captivated by its description.
The Qian Yuan Burning Blood Divine Art offered a cultivation speed three times faster than ordinary cultivators. However, during cultivation, it required the assistance of a third-grade or higher Spirit Guiding Pill. Otherwise, a lack of spiritual energy would lead to cultivation regression, and in severe cases, it could cause depletion of vital essence and a shortened lifespan.
"This technique is interesting. Isn't it tailor-made for me?"
Upon reading the description of the Qian Yuan Burning Blood Divine Art, Lin Chen was stunned.